Method and apparatus for forming sheet material

ABSTRACT

A method of roll forming sheet material so that only selected portions along an edge of the sheet will be formed. The selectivity is accomplished by providing for controlled movement of particular forming rolls into and out of a forming position in such a way that the movement does not interfere with the continuous travel of the sheet through the machine.

0 United States Patent 1191 [111 3,733,868 Welty [451 May 22, 1973 54 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR 2,443,377 6/1948 Daniel ..72/1s7 FORMING SHEET MATERIAL 1,148,670 8/1915 Fedders.... ..72/187 1,211,460 1/1917 Lindquist ..72/180 X Invenlofi Roger Welly, swlsher, Iowa 2,327,844 8/1943 Johnston ..72/179 x 3,535,905 10/1970 Frizell ..72/220 [73] Assignee: Welty-Way Products, Inc., Cedar apl S IQwa Primary Examiner-M1lton S. Mehr [22] Filed: Feb. 16, 1972 Attorney-Haven E, Simmons et al. [21] App1.No.: 226,696

[57] ABSTRACT [52] U.S. Cl ..72/181 A method of [on forming Sheet material so that only CL selected portions along an g f the Sheet be [58] Field of l sgiz z ggf formed. The selectivity is accomplished by providing 72/ 7 4 for controlled movement of particular forming rolls into and out of a forming position in such a way that 56 R f C1 d the movement does not interfere with the continuous 1 e erences l e travel of the sheet through the machine.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 12 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 3,673,834 7/1972 Brunner et a1 ..72/57 Patented May 22, 1973 3,733,868

5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented May 22, 1973 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG 3 FIG 4 3 Sheets-Ghost 5 Patented May 22, 1973 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There has been developed a variety of machines which will form sheet material into a desired final shape as it continuously moves through the machine. This is accomplished generally by passing the material through a series of progressive forming rolls so that, for example, an edge of the sheet will be progressively and continuously formed into the desired final configuration. The final shape of the formed sheet, of course, depends upon the shape and position of the forming rolls. In most prior art machines, the forming rolls are powered so as to serve not only to form the material but also to move the material through the machine. These machines have wide applications for continuously forming a variety of sheet materials. For example, such machines are commonly known and used for forming eaves spout or gutter used on buildings. However, where only selected portions of the sheet material are to be formed with other portions intermediate of the formed portions to be either not formed or formed in a different configuration, the continuous roll forming machines cannot be used. In such a case, the customary way of forming sheet material is to use a sheet metal brake which requires that each piece be placed in the machine which when operated will then form the material to a configuration determined by the dies in the machine. This, of course, is a much slower process than the continuous roll forming process and there are practical limitations on the size of a sheet that can be formed on a sheet metal brake because the larger the sheet, the larger the machine must be to handle the material.

Since there are a number of applications where, for example, alternate portions only along the edge of sheet material are to be formed, a considerable amount of time and labor could be saved if this forming could be accomplished by a process which allows'the material to move continuously through the machine. The prior art does not disclose any machine or method by which interrupted forming can be accomplished on a practical basis while the material moves continuously through the machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a method and apparatus for the interrupted forming of selected portions of sheet material by a continuous process. Similar to the known methods of forming, the apparatus of the invention is provided with progressive forming rolls and dies and power rolls for moving the material continuously through the machine. However, selected ones of the forming rolls are mounted so as to be retractable from a forming position. Thus, by withdrawing or retracting the forming rolls at appropriate times, either manually or through an appropriate control system, only selected portions of the sheet material will be formed to a predetermined shape. By using the principles of the invention, a machine can be designed so as to accomplish a variety of forming operations which previously could not be performed by a continuous method but only by using a sheet metal brake. The invention thus provides a unique method and apparatus for the interrupted forming of sheet material which greatly reduces labor cost and allows the forming of sheet material to particular configurations without limitation as to length of the material being formed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a piece of sheet material of a type suitable for forming by the method and apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a forming apparatus constructed according to the principles of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged and elevational view, partly in section, taken on the line 4 4 of FIG. 2, and showing the first station on one side of the forming apparatus; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic wiring diagram of the control system for the apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a piece of sheet material, indicated generally by the reference numeral 10, which has been precut to form a plurality of notches 12 along each of the longitudinal edges thereof. In the example shown in FIG. 1, notches 12 thus form four tabs along each of the longitudinal edges of the sheet material 10, these tabs being designated in the drawing as tabs A, B, C and D respectively. For purposes of illustration, the forming operation that is to be performed is to bend downwardly only alternate tabs, e.g. tabs A and C, while leaving tabs B and D not formed and extending outwardly in the general plane of the sheet material 10. This is necessary so that the sheet material 10 can then be formed by bending it transversely to its longitudinal dimension on lines generally aligned with notches 12 to form a box shaped member. At the present time, the forming operation of bending tabs A and C along the dotted lines shown in FIG. 1 is performed by placing each edge of the sheet material 10 into a sheet metal brake, thus requiring two separate operations to form the tabs A and C for a single piece of material 10.

The arrows in FIGS. 1 and 2 indicate the direction of travel of the sheet material 10 through an apparatus which has been constructed according to the principles of the invention. The apparatus shown in FIGS. 2-4 has as a supporting structure a plurality of vertical legs 14 which support an upper frame that provides a horizontal table 16 for supporting the working parts of the apparatus. Additional horizontal structural members 18 may also be provided as needed.

Supported above the table 16 and extending in parallel relationship transversely of the direction of material travel are a plurality of lower power rolls 20 indicated generally by the reference numeral 20 (FIG. 3). Each of the power rolls 20 has a pair of larger rollers 34 affixed to and rotatable with it, the rollers 34 being engageable with the sheet material 10 to convey it through the apparatus. The lower power rolls 20 are supported at their ends on table 16 by suitable supporting blocks 22 which house support bearings (not shown) and drive components (not shown) that are driven by operative connection to a common power source such as motor 24. The operative connection between motor 24 and the lower power rolls 20 can be done in any suitable manner and does not form a part of the invention, and any suitable drive arrangement may be employed that will drive all the rolls 20 at the same speed.

An upper pinch roll 26 is mounted above each of the lower power rolls 20 with its rotative axis parallel to and in vertical alignment with the rotative axis of its respective roll 20. Pinch rolls 26 are preferably of a smaller diameter than the rollers 34 of the lower power rolls 20 and are supported at their outer ends by bearing blocks 23 which are vertically movable within a limited distance as defined by the vertical guides 30. Each of the bearing blocks 28 is connected to the operating rod of a vertically mounted air cylinder 32 which when operated will allow the pinch roll 26 to be raised and lowered with respect to the lower power roll 20 so as to engage and disengage the pinch roll 26 from the rollers 34 of the respective power roll 20.

Each pinch roll 26 and its respective power roll 20 form a pair of drive rolls which are spaced longitudinally from the other pairs of drive rolls within the machine. Intermediate each pair of drive rolls is a material supporting member 36 which extends transversely to the path of material travel as best seen in FIG. 2. Thus, the power rolls 20and material supporting members 36 provide a continuous support surface for a sheet of material 10 passing through the forming apparatus.

Overlying the outer ends of each of the material supporting members 36 are material forming stations. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, there are shown three such stations along each side of the apparatus, the stations being designated by the reference letters R, S and T. Thus, there is a station R on each side of the machine near the material inlet end thereof, a station T on each side of the machine at the discharge end thereof, and a station S intermediate each of the stations R and T. Stations and stations T contain forming rollers of the desired shape and mounted at the desired angle to form the tabs A and C to the final configuration. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the stations S includes a pair of forming rollers 38 mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis. One of the rollers 38 is positioned adjacent a lower forming roller 40 as shown. Roller 40 is mounted for rotation about an axis at an angle with the horizontal as indicated in FIG. 2. At each of the stations T there are a plurality of lower forming rollers 42 mounted on vertical axes which rollers 42 are positioned beneath upper forming rollers 44 that perform the final bending operation of the tabs A and C. In this preferred embodiment, tabs A and C when fully formed after the sheet material leaves the apparatus will be bent downwardly and inwardly in a somewhat U-shaped configuration as the sheet is viewed from its front edge. It should be understood, however, that the principles of the invention are applicable to any interrupted forming operation of sheet ma terial and that the particular configuration shown is for purposes of illustration only.

At each of the stations R there is a lower cylinder shaped roller 46 mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis and an upper roller 48 also mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis. As best seen in FIG. 4, roller 46 has its rotative shaft 47 affixed to a supporting block 50 which in turn is secured to a mounting 51 supported on table 16. Roller 46 is therefore rotatable about a fixed axis. The upper roller 48 is somehwat conical shaped and is mounted for rotation about a shaft 52 which is also the operating rod of an air cylinder 54 that is secured to the mounting 51. Thus, roller 48 can be moved inwardly and outwardly transversely to the direction of the travel of the sheet material 10, and when moved inwardly is in a position closely adjacent to the lower roller 46, as best seen in FIG. 4. When the roller 48 is withdrawn or moved outwardly, it will be a considerable distance from the roller 46, this distance being sufficient to allow the outermost edge of the sheet material It) to pass by roller 48 without engaging it. Thus, if the sheet material 10 is introduced into the apparatus, tabs A will be engaged by the respective pairs of rollers 46 and 48 if the movable roller 48 is in the inward position shown in FIG. 4. If so, tabs A will be bent downwardly as indicated in FIG. 4 as the sheet travels through the apparatus. If, on the other hand, roller 48 is withdrawn, the tabs (such as tabs B and D) will not be bent but will merely ride over the top of roller 46.

At each of the stations R there is also a second pair of rollers, a lower roller 56 mounted for rotation about a vertical axis and with a conical shaped surface 57 as shown in FIG. 4. Positioned just above the roller 56 is a second cylindrical shaped roller 58 (FIG. 2) which is rotatable about a horizontal axis and is positioned substantially in line with the roller 46. From FIG. 4 it will be obvious that the upper flat surface 59 of roller 56 is at about the same level as the top of roller 46. Thus, if the movable roller 48 is withdrawn so that no forming operation takes place at station R, the edge of the sheet 10 will merely ride over the top surface 59 of roller 56 and no forming will take place. However, if the movable roller 48 is in its inward (forming) position, then the edge of the sheet It) will be bent downwardly and will also be engaged by the conical shaped outer surface 57 of roller 56 to complete the forming operation at station R.

At each of the stations S and T, if either tab A or C of the sheet material 10 has been bent downwardly at station R, the downwardly turned tab will be engaged by the forming rollers at these stations and the forming operation completed to provide the final desired shape. However, if roller 48 at station R is withdrawn, tabs B and D along the edge of the sheet 10 will remain flat and in the plane of the sheet 10 and will merely ride over all of the forming rollers at each of the stations S and T and no forming will take place. Thus, in the example given herein, tabs A and C can be formed to the desired configuration while tabs B and D will remain flat and in the plane of the sheet 10. This is accomplished, of course, by controlling the operation of air cylinders 54 so as to move the rollers 48 inwardly and outwardly at the proper times. Control of the position of the rollers 48 by air cylinders 54 can be accomplished in any suitable manner but preferably is accomplished by use of a photo cell or electric eye 60 positioned at the entrance end of the machine ahead of the stations R. Electric eye 60 will sense each time a notch 12 passes by it and will provide a control signal that can be utilized to actuate asolenoid (not shown) to operate each air cylinder 54. In the example shown herein, the control circuit would have to provide that at the time the first notch 12 is sensed that the roller 48 would be inwardly in a forming position, and that upon sensing of the second notch 12 that the rollers 48 be withdrawn, the third notch the rollers be moved inwardly, and the fourth notch the rollers again be withdrawn. This would have to be repeated for each separate sheet as the sheet enters the machine. For this purpose, there is preferably provided a limit switch or other detector 62 which detects the entry of a sheet and activates the control circuit. Also, because the sheet is conveyed through the apparatus by means of the lower and upper power rolls and 26 which engage the sheet, the control system must also provide for lifting of the upper power rolls 26 at the properly timed intervals so that the bent tabs A and C are not flattened or deformed by the power rolls. This is accomplished by the use of limit switches 64 one of which is positioned ahead of each of the pairs of power rolls 20 and 26 as indicated in FIG. 2.

A suitable basic control circuit for accomplishing the foregoing is illustrated in FIG. 5. There is, however, not shown in FIG. 5 the particular control circuit for programming the movement of rollers 48 since this circuit would vary depending on the particular forming operation desired. For example, if every other tab on sheet 10 were to be formed, a particular control circuit would be provided that would be responsive to the electric sensing eye 60. If every third tab were to be formed in a sheet, a different control circuit would necessarily be provided. Any particular circuit is within the skill of those ordinarily skilled in the art and thus has not been shown since it does not form a part of the invention. The control circuit is preferably provided with a suitable manual switching arrangement so that the machine can be operated in a full roll, no roll or controlled roll mode. Switch 65 is the main off-on switch. Ifon, switch 66 will cause air cylinders 54 to be operated so as to move rollers 48 inwardly and hold them there until switch 66 is turned of This is the full roll mode. Switch 68 is provided to cause air cylinders 54 to move rollers 48 outwardly and hold them there so that none of the tabs are formed. Switch 70 is provided to activate the controlled roll mode. Since a single machine can be used for different programs, the controlled roll mode is preferably carried out by a printed circuit or circuit board 72 that can be inserted into the circuit and changed as the program changes.

Also, there is shown in the circuit of FIG. 5 and in FIG. 2 an oversize limit switch 74 that will detect a sheet 10 that is larger in width than a predetermined size and sound an alarm 76 to alert the operator.

The operation of the apparatus and the method of the invention should be clear from the foregoing description. It should be equally clear that a variety of different interrupted forming operations can be performed utilizing the principles of the invention. There might, for example, be provided additional stations in a particular apparatus each of which has forming rollers that are movable into and out of a forming position. Also, depending upon the number and type and design of the forming stations themselves, many different structural shapes can be formed on a particular piece of sheet material. It will be further evident that even with the illustrated embodiment that a variety of operations can be carried out depending on the desired programming of the movement of rollers 48 as determined by portion 72 of the control circuits. It will be further evident that the principles of the invention are not limited to any particular method of conveying the sheet material through the apparatus. The particular drive method shown herein utilizing pairs of power rolls independent from the forming rollers is the most practical arrangement considering all the factors involved. However, it would be possible to utilize the principles of the invention in an apparatus in which the forming rollers were powered and in this manner provide for movement of the sheet material through the apparatus. Thus, the invention is not limited to any particular form of powering the material and moving it thorugh the apparatus.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other revisions and modifications can be made in the preferred embodiment of the apparatus and method described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is my intention, however, that all revisions and modifications which are obvious to those skilled in the art will be included within the scope of the following claims:

I claim:

1. A roll forming apparatus for intermittently forming selected edge portions of deformable sheet material which has a front edge and a rear edge joined by side edges, said roll forming apparatus comprising supporting structure providing a material entrance end and a material discharge end with a material forming path between said ends, means for continuously moving the material along said material forming path from the entrance end to the discharge end, a plurality of forming stations located along said material forming path, roll forming means at each of said stations for engaging and forming a side edge of said material to the desired configuration as the material passes through the station, the roll forming means at one of said stations including forming means movable into and out of a forming position, and control means for selectively moving said movable forming means into and out of forming position so as to form only selected edge portions of said sheet material.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the means for continuously moving the material through the apparatus is powered independently from the material forming means.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the means for continuously moving the material through the apparatus consists of a plurality of pinch rollers located between the material entrance end and the material discharge end, at least some of said pinch rollers being engageable with the material at all times the material is moving through the apparatus.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the material forming station closest to said entrance end includes said material forming means that is movable into and out of forming position.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the movable material forming means includes a pair of forming rollers, one of said rollers being movable into and out of the forming position, said material being formed when said movable roller is in a forming position, the shape of said material not being changed when said movable roller is out of a forming position.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 in which the movable forming roller is operatively connected to a power cylinder, said cylinder providing for movement of said forming roller in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of said material.

7. The forming apparatus of claim 1 in which one of the side edges of said sheet material has a plurality of longitudinally spaced notches, and sensing means is provided upstream from the material forming station containing the movable forming means to detect the presence of one of said notches, said forming means that is movable into and out of a forming position being responsive to said sensing means to form selected portions of said material between some of said notches.

' 8. A roll forming apparatus for intermittently forming selected portions of deformable sheet material having a front edge and rear edge joined by side edges, said apparatus comprising supporting structure providing a material entrance end and a material discharge end, a plurality of material forming stations along each side of the apparatus between said entrance end and said discharge end, means for continuously moving the material through the apparatus from the entrance end to the discharge end, the material forming station on each side of said apparatus closest to the entrance end including material forming means movable into and out of a forming position so as to be engageable and disengageable with selected portions of said sheet material along each of the side edges thereof, and control means for selectively moving said movable material forming means into and out of forming position so as to form only selected edge portions of said sheet material.

9. A roll forming apparatus for intermittently forming selected portions of deformable sheet material, said apparatus comprising supporting structure providing a material entrance end and a material discharge end, means for continuously moving the material through the apparatus from the entrance end to the discharge end, a material forming station between said entrance end and said discharge end, material forming means at said station for engaging and forming said material to the desired configuration as the material passes through said station, said material forming means including a pair of forming rollers, one of said rollers being movable into and out of the forming position, said material being formed when said movable roller is in a forming position, the shape of said material not being changed when said movable roller is out of a forming position, and control means for selectively moving said movable forming roller into and out of forming position so as to form only selected portions of said sheet material.

10. A roll forming apparatus for intermittently forming selected portions of deformable sheet material having a front edge and a rear edge joined by side edges, one of said side edges having a plurality of longitudinally spaced notches, said apparatus comprising supporting structure providing a material entrance end and a material discharge end, means for continuously moving the material through the apparatus from the entrance end to the discharge end, a material forming station between said entrance end and said discharge end, material forming means at said station for engaging and forming a side edge of said material to the desired configuration as the material passes through the station, sensing means upstream from said material forming station to detect the presence of one of said notches in said sheet material, said material forming means including forming means movable into and out of a forming position responsive to said sensing means to form selected portions of said material between some of said notches, and control means for selectively moving said movable forming means into and out of forming position so as to form only selected portions of said sheet material.

11. A method of intermittently roll forming selected edge portions of deformable material having a front edge and a rear edge joined by side edges, one of said side edges having a plurality of longitudinally spaced notches, said method comprising the steps of: providing a plurality of forming stations at fixed locations along the path of movement of said material; passing said material through said forming stations to roll form the edge portions to the desired shape; selectively moving roll forming means at one of said stations into engagement with an edge portion of said material between a pair of notches as said material passes through said forming station only when it is desired to form that edge portion; disengaging said roll forming means from said material when it is desired not to form a selected edge portion of said material between some of said notches; and causing said material to continuously move through said stations without interruption.

12. The method of claim 11 in which said forming station containing selectively movable forming means is located at the first forming station, and said material is uninterruptively passed through the subsequent forming stations after leaving said first forming station. k 

1. A roll forming apparatus for intermittently forming selected edge portions of deformable sheet material which has a front edge and a rear edge joined by side edges, said roll forming apparatus comprising supporting structure providing a material entrance end and a material discharge end with a material forming path between said ends, means for continuously moving the material along said material forming path from the entrance end to the discharge end, a plurality of forming stations located along said material forming path, roll forming means at each of said stations for engaging and forming a side edge of said material to the desired configuration as the material passes through the station, the roll forming means at one of said stations including forming means movable into and out of a forming position, and control means for selectively moving said movable forming means into and out of forming position sO as to form only selected edge portions of said sheet material.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the means for continuously moving the material through the apparatus is powered independently from the material forming means.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the means for continuously moving the material through the apparatus consists of a plurality of pinch rollers located between the material entrance end and the material discharge end, at least some of said pinch rollers being engageable with the material at all times the material is moving through the apparatus.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the material forming station closest to said entrance end includes said material forming means that is movable into and out of forming position.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the movable material forming means includes a pair of forming rollers, one of said rollers being movable into and out of the forming position, said material being formed when said movable roller is in a forming position, the shape of said material not being changed when said movable roller is out of a forming position.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 in which the movable forming roller is operatively connected to a power cylinder, said cylinder providing for movement of said forming roller in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of said material.
 7. The forming apparatus of claim 1 in which one of the side edges of said sheet material has a plurality of longitudinally spaced notches, and sensing means is provided upstream from the material forming station containing the movable forming means to detect the presence of one of said notches, said forming means that is movable into and out of a forming position being responsive to said sensing means to form selected portions of said material between some of said notches.
 8. A roll forming apparatus for intermittently forming selected portions of deformable sheet material having a front edge and rear edge joined by side edges, said apparatus comprising supporting structure providing a material entrance end and a material discharge end, a plurality of material forming stations along each side of the apparatus between said entrance end and said discharge end, means for continuously moving the material through the apparatus from the entrance end to the discharge end, the material forming station on each side of said apparatus closest to the entrance end including material forming means movable into and out of a forming position so as to be engageable and disengageable with selected portions of said sheet material along each of the side edges thereof, and control means for selectively moving said movable material forming means into and out of forming position so as to form only selected edge portions of said sheet material.
 9. A roll forming apparatus for intermittently forming selected portions of deformable sheet material, said apparatus comprising supporting structure providing a material entrance end and a material discharge end, means for continuously moving the material through the apparatus from the entrance end to the discharge end, a material forming station between said entrance end and said discharge end, material forming means at said station for engaging and forming said material to the desired configuration as the material passes through said station, said material forming means including a pair of forming rollers, one of said rollers being movable into and out of the forming position, said material being formed when said movable roller is in a forming position, the shape of said material not being changed when said movable roller is out of a forming position, and control means for selectively moving said movable forming roller into and out of forming position so as to form only selected portions of said sheet material.
 10. A roll forming apparatus for intermittently forming selected portions of deformable sheet material having a front edge and a rear edge joined by side edges, one of said side edges having a plurality of longitudinally spaced notches, said apparatus comprising supporting structure providing a material entrance end and a material discharge end, means for continuously moving the material through the apparatus from the entrance end to the discharge end, a material forming station between said entrance end and said discharge end, material forming means at said station for engaging and forming a side edge of said material to the desired configuration as the material passes through the station, sensing means upstream from said material forming station to detect the presence of one of said notches in said sheet material, said material forming means including forming means movable into and out of a forming position responsive to said sensing means to form selected portions of said material between some of said notches, and control means for selectively moving said movable forming means into and out of forming position so as to form only selected portions of said sheet material.
 11. A method of intermittently roll forming selected edge portions of deformable material having a front edge and a rear edge joined by side edges, one of said side edges having a plurality of longitudinally spaced notches, said method comprising the steps of: providing a plurality of forming stations at fixed locations along the path of movement of said material; passing said material through said forming stations to roll form the edge portions to the desired shape; selectively moving roll forming means at one of said stations into engagement with an edge portion of said material between a pair of notches as said material passes through said forming station only when it is desired to form that edge portion; disengaging said roll forming means from said material when it is desired not to form a selected edge portion of said material between some of said notches; and causing said material to continuously move through said stations without interruption.
 12. The method of claim 11 in which said forming station containing selectively movable forming means is located at the first forming station, and said material is uninterruptively passed through the subsequent forming stations after leaving said first forming station. 